Here are seven ways you can rely on God to help you break down and overcome the challenging obstacles that are standing in your way: Focus on God's power rather than on the size of your problem . This is a spiritual thermometer. . As God reveals His plan to you, you will be able to better understand how to overcome the obstacles in your way, or Gods reasons for putting them there. The punishment has been paid. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. We overcome the emotional barrier when we believe it is safe to yield to God. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Deborah: Trusting God through the demands of life. Abraham Taking Isaac to be Sacrificed. Draw near to him. Hebrews 4:12 states: His word is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, able to pierce to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow and even able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. Gods Word is incredibly powerful and holds the key to many of our problems. There is one good way to know whether you are spiritually well or not. The answer to this is that our confidence must ultimately be placed in God. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. they did not let this issue distract them from their mission. Gods plan may seem confusing, unconventional, or mysterious at times, and especially when you are facing difficulty. Image Credit: Hero Images/Hero Images/Getty Images. This letter exhorts us to persevere, and this profound call to draw near to God is right at the heart. Jesus has said, when you are faithful in a few things, God puts you in charge o many more things. When this question has been settled, we should then go on to another area that requires faithfulness fulfilling our God-given roles. You can cling to its truth when life throws you a curveball. And if praying is the only role that you can fulfill in Gods kingdom, then please make sure that you are a faithful prayer warrior pleading before Gods throne everyday. The Emotional Barrier: Is It Safe to Trust God? Paul was faithful in his role as achurch-planter, testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God wherever he went. Join The Hoot & Howl community for access to all the insider info! Luke 1:37 ESV / 248 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful He . The confused are those who have health, know Self-Realization is the purpose of life, have food, clothing and shelter, but find excuses to run after other things endlessly. The writer tells us . Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, This shows that Jesus was a very big part of Pauls life. We must look to Him for all the help we need to remain faithful. Three obstacles keep us from coming to Christ, and these are the same barriers that keep us from yielding to, trusting in, and submitting to Him on an ongoing basis. 3 Obstacles to Living God's Will for Your Life | Forward Progress MichaelKelley.co About Blog Contact Resources Bible Study Church Family Work MichaelKelley.co About Blog Contact Resources Mitragyna Speciosa Kratom guides: learn more Kratom resource: kratom.org Kratom vendors: read kratom reviews Best kratom: top strains for pain relief As you dig into the Word of God, start with a great study Bible, ( this list has some of the most popular Study Bibles for women.) With this obstacle, we ask, Is it possible to trust God? Trusting God gives us confidence not a flesh-driven confidence, not confidence in the wrong things (like money/possessions) or with wrong motives, but confidence rooted in God and His Word (exemplified by the Bereans of Acts 17:11). Choose seven men from among you: men of good reputation (Good testimony) (known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. "The way is hard that leads to life," He said ( Matthew 7:14, ESV ). Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Focus on how strong Gods power is. Challenges in serving God. But having said all this, the question still remains what if Gods people are somehownotdiligent enough to guard themselves well and to build themselves up with God Word? And therefore weve bunkered down into a Christian life solely about survival. Verse Concepts. Remind yourself that you are a child of God and you were put on this earth for a reason. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). One great way to combat this is by spending more time at church with your fellow Christians. 1) The Problem of Science Faith vs. Science is the perennial God-problem. Confess Unbelief Be honest. Sometimes people who begin a ministry die or moved and there is not one else to carry it; they come to an end. It is fascinating to study these spiritual gifts, but that is not within the scope of this sermon. Weve tried it. The church has faced external and internal challenges since the day it began through the preaching of the apostles. We can focus and realign our thinking through prayer, daily devotions and meditation. This is His purpose of why we were created and the reason why we are here on earth. Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Courses, As we thank God for His faithfulness today, let us be reminded that God requires faithfulness from us. Jesus said we will have trouble (tribulations) in this world. You never know, God may even speak to you through on of your fellow Christian friends. Continue to commit to Him doing His will, trust in Him. There is no way that you can escape from the fires of hell, unless yourepentof your sins andtrust onlyin Jesus Christ to save you, submitting fully to His Lordship in your life. Matthew 17:20 ESV / 89 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful The most of men are careless and indifferent to then heavenly King; they remember all things else except the God who made them. He was committed to obedience. Ive tried it before. He is our perfect, spotless righteousness and our lives are hid with him on high. Tit was through all these works of God that the Ephesians had now grown into a thriving church, But there is still so much more that needs to be done as we move forward as a church into our 67, build a united church family that is committed to making disciples through Salvation, Sanctification and Service to the glory of God. Jesus is praying. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. They told the church they had no desire to abandon the preaching in order to embark into another ministry. Others have been blessed with spiritual gifts of faith, administration, discernment, hospitality, giving, mercy, or encouragement. If you want to remain faithful, you must give sufficient time to the study of Gods Word. In the midst of difficulty and temptation, were told to come closer. Yes, we have sinned. God's people cannot be shamed into serving God; they need to be challenged. No matter how big your problem may feel, or how impossible it may seem for it to get better, know that nothing is too difficult for God to handle. Life is full of ups and downs. Please see the Disclosures for how it will all go down. We see in God's dealings with people, that in almost all cases, God uses the obstacles/difficulties and overcoming them, as a means to inculcate great character in people and to prepare them and use them for great purposes. The first and biggest obstacle to you and me enjoying all the benefits of God's Grace is you (and me). And so as Proverbs4:23says, you mustKeep [your] heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life., Unfortunately not everyone in Ephesus heeded Pauls exhortation to guard themselves. Yes they certainly did. Watch popular content from the following creators: Make 30s Fit(@make30sfit), Christ (@glimpseofchrist), Danna Hagans(@dannahagans), Mckenzie Young(@mckenzieyoung93), WC(@warriorsofchrist_), WC(@warriorsofchrist_), Praise on TBN(@praiseontbn), Throwback Praise(@throwbackpraise), The grace of God(@the . Dont be afraid to stand up to obstacles and say God is here with me, I can overcome this through Him. There are obstacles in our way. The following five assurances help overcome the emotional barrier to yielding to Him even in your freefall moments: Whereas the emotional barrier says its not safe to trust God, the intellectual barrier says it doesnt make sense to trust God. And so, as a point of application, please ask yourself: Are you faithful in learning and obeying the whole counsel of God? Be bold. We relish our sin too much to renounce it. Have you ever wondered why we get caught in the same sins over and over? We have to fully believe that God is in control and that He has a great plan for our life. Notice how verse 19 begins, Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. He means that we have access to God now because Jesus died in our place. Paul did not withhold any teaching of Gods Word from the Ephesians. These challenges come to distract us from our mission; they come to make us quit running the race. Faith is from God and fear is from the enemy. How do we deal with these ongoing barriers in our lives? This can be seen in the call which He gave to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10. The apostles were the shepherds of the church. Handling the problem: (v.2) Proverbs 8:17 love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. Your email address will not be published. The same thing happens if one member is not fulfilling his or her role faithfully The whole church suffers! Click to Tweet Obstacles to serving God. The word of God continued to spread (to be taught and preached); more people were becoming disciples, even some Jewish priests received the gospel of Jesus. If we allow fear to take over, then faith gets pushed aside. (v.4) We will attend constantly or persist in prayer and the preaching of the gospel. If you dont know how to manage the small, then you wont be able to manage the big. 1. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. They came to provide comfort and sympathy to him. They really piss me off. It is acceptable to have feelings of anger at God when hard things of life happen. Benefits Of Serving God: The Challenges, The Pains, The Blessings And The Rewards - Kindle edition by Kanu, Kenneth. (v.6) Desiring God partnered with Shane & Shanes The Worship Initiative to write short meditations for more than one hundred popular worship songs and hymns. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.He worked as a tent-make, to provide not only for his own needs, but for the needs of others as well. For greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.". These verses will strengthen your faith in God. More growth was taking place. In v.24 he reveals how willing he was to deny self in serving the Lord. The point is that God is behind this. God detests pride, but humility prompts the gift of His grace. Quote This: 2 Corinthians 2:14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. These feelings can keep us paralyzed from dealing with the. one hundred popular worship songs and hymns. Notice the language: Were to draw near with our hearts sprinkled clean from a evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. This echoes the God-centeredness of the New Covenant, when God promised that hed write his law on our hearts, that hed give us his Spirit, that hed make us clean (Jeremiah 31:33). They would rather increase in fame and fortune. To move in. Here are 4 barriers to getting through to God: 1) Harboring secret sin. As we now enter into our 67thyear, let us resolve to give Him thefirst and central placein all that we do as a church, so that we may be faithful to Him. The death of Jesus and the intercession of Jesus, then, provide the grounds by which we can have a rich relationship with God. When the Israelites, out of a desire to be like all the nations, insisted on an earthly king, they turned from the will and warning of the One who knew what was best for them and they got what they asked for, though the results werent pleasant (1 Samuel 8:9-20 NASB). First, the apostles identified their main priority. Remember, rather than call the equipped, God seems to like to equip the called. 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